Growing Girls and Women’s Cricket by Thinking Outside the Box

Frimley Phoenix is a great story of a club who has embraced different formats of cricket. It’s not just about two men’s hardball teams being the focus, it is instead about embracing women’s, girls’, juniors, and disability cricket. But with that growth and development comes the challenge of finding different suitable facilities and new exciting ways to play the game.

“I think that this is a really, good example of a club thinking about different ways to play; not just stuck with the traditional view of “we need a square, it needs to be hardball”, but giving people the opportunity to play in a format that is suitable for them” comments Mark Babb, Surrey Cricket Foundation

No Pitch, No Problem

In terms of thinking outside the box, there are not many available grass squares in the Surrey area so the question is where can the game be played and how can we get games on?? Utilising tools such as the 2G Flicx Pitch, non turf pitches or even just using the Flicx Pitch for nets – allows people to have more access to cricket and more ability to play.

“We need Flicx Pitches to GROW the sport but we also need Flicx Pitches to CHANGE the sport. Make cricket flexible, make it adaptable, make it fun … go back to that and we can change what people think about cricket”- Gary Dunford, Frimley Phoenix Cricket Club

In addition, the portability and versatility of the 2G Flicx Pitch unlocks non-traditional cricket venues including synthetic turf pitches, tennis/netball courts, MUGA’s as well as different grass surfaces such as parks, grass fields and turf pitches which might be hosting other sports. In a short amount of time and with no damage to the under surface, these venues can safely play host to cricket games, training, and festivals. 

Developing the Women’s Game

Watch More of Gary Dunford and Mark Babb’s views on the development of women and girls’ cricket which can be found on this video below where they cover

• What facility challenges exist within the women’s and girls’ game?
• How do you grow your women’s and girls’ programmes?
• What does the future hold for women’s and girls’ cricket?
• Will there be more appetite for women’s hard ball cricket in the future?